Snow melter



Dec. 13, 1927.

J. F. DALY ET AL SNOW MELTER Filed Oct. 2.5 1926 r INVENTORS PatentedDec. 13, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. DALY, 0F DEEXEL HILL, AND GEORGE A. COATS AND GEORGE H. LUTZ, OF

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 GOOD ROAD EQUIPMENT CORPO-RATION, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

SNOW MELTEB.

Application filed October 23, 1926. Serial No. 143,552.

Our invention relates to a novel construction of a snow melter, whereinwe employ a tractor having a suitable frame mounted thereon, saidtractor carrying blowing and heating means, whereby the hot gases andproducts of combustion after being conducted longitudinally through asuitable upper flue are conducted downwardly to a hood of our novelconstruction, said hood being composed of a suitable rear stationary orbody port-ion and a front section hinged to said body portion, wherebythe products of combustion and hot gases can be readily directed to thedesired point upon the accumulation of snow or ice which it is desiredto melt.

Our invention further consists of novel means for elevating the front orhinged member of the hood and of a novel damper construction, wherebythe products of coinbustion can be quickly and instantly deflected tothe desired point or points within the hood. I

It further consists of novel means for supporting the hood and itsadjuncts.

It further consists of other novel features of construction andadvantage all as will be hereinafter fully pointed out in thespecification and claims appended thereto.

For the purpose of illustrating our invention we have shown in theaccompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred byus, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory andreliable results, although it is to be understood that the variousinstrumentalities of which our invention consists can be variouslyarranged and organized and that our invention is not limited to theprecise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as hereinshown and described.

Figure 1., represents a side elevation of a snow melter embodying ourinvention, showing in dotted lines one form of a tractor and supportingframe which maybe employed.

Figure 2, represents on an enlarged scale a bottom view of our novelhood.

Figure 3, represents a section on line 33, Figure 2.

. wardly,

Figure 4, represents a top plan View of the hood in detached position.

Figure 5, represents a section on line 55 showing the damper actuatingmeans.

1 designates our novel construction of a hood for a snow melter, thesame comprismg the inlet portion 2, having an opening 3 into which theinlet pipe 4 leads, whereby the hot gases and products of combustion aredischarged into the interior of the hood. The hood is composed of astationary body portion comprising the rear wall 5, and the side walls6, which preferably slope downas will be understood from Figures 1 to 4.In front of the inlet 2, we locate the horizontal transversely extendingflange or bar 7, to which is hinged the parallel, horizontally disposedbar 8 by means of the hinges 9, which may be three or more in number asshown in Figure 4. 10 designates the movable front hood section which isse cured to the bar 8 and comprises the downwardly and forwardly slopingbody portion 11, which terminates in the front pendant flange 12 whichmerges into the sides 13 which are positioned outside of the stationarywings 14 which serve as guides for said sides 13 and which tend toprevent sidewise escape of the hot gases and products of combustion fromthe side of the hood, when the front section 10 thereof is elevated asseen in Fig. 1. 15 designates a vertical internal partition extendingtransversely of the stationary hood member in proximity to which locatedthe damper 16, which is pivotally mounted in any suitable manner and isactuated by the handle 17 carrying the ratchet 18 which is controlled bythe pawl 19. The damper 16 is so located that in one of its extremepositions it will contact with the wall 5 as seen in full lines inFigure 3, and in its other extreme position it will contact withv thetransverse partition 15 as seen dotted in Figure 3. V

It will be apparent that the front movable section 10 of the hood can beactuated by any suitable means, and in practice, as said hood section israther heavy, we employ the raising and lowering'means seen in Fig ure1, and comprising the chain or connectherebetween.

tion 20, one end of which is fastened to the front of the movablesection 10 at the point 21, said chain passing over the pulleys 22 and23, seen in Figure 1, and having its opposite end fastened to theWindlass or winch 24:, which is operated by the handle 25. able, hoodsectio i 10 can be readily raised and lowered according to requirements.

Our novel snow melter can be mounted or transported upon any suitableframe or tractor and in the present instance we have shown in dottedlines a conventional form of tractor26, carrying a suitable frame 27, onthe upper portion of which is carried the upper horizontal flue 28 intowhich the hot gas is introduced at the point 29 through the valvedconduit 30. The upper horizontal flue 28 is connected with the verticalline member l and thereby the products of com bustion and the hot gasesare conducted to the inlet 3 into the interior of the hood memher 1. 31designates the accumulation of snow or ice which is to be melted. The

hood can be supported from the front of the frame 27 by any suitablemeans, and at the lefthand of'Fig. 1, we have shown one form ofsupporting devices, which may be employed, such as the rods 32 and 33,the latter being arranged in pairs as will be understood from Figure atand said rods may be further provided with the turnbuckles 34: and 35,the rear ends of said rods 32 and 33 being pivotally supported at thepoints 36 and 37 respectively. V

For the purpose of reinforcing the rear of the front movable hoodsection 10 we may employ the horizontal strip or bar 37* seen in Figures2 and 3,said bar 37* being under the strip or bar 8 and being securedthereto by the fastening devices 38 which pass through both bars 8 and37 and the rear portion of the hood section 10 clamped Underneath thebar 7, we may also employe the bar or strip 39, as seen in Figures 2 and3, said bars 7 and 39 being secured together by rivets or otherfastening devices 40 as seen in Figures 2 and 4.

By this means a rigid and reinforced construction is provided at thepoints where strength is needed. It will be apparent that by our novelhood structure when the parts are in the position seen in Figure 3 andthe damper is in the position seen dotted, the hood can be employed as apavement heater, and when the damper 16 is moved into the position seenin full lines in Figure 3, and the front hood section l0'is elevatedinto the position seen at the left of Figure 1, the device can beemployed as a snow melter, and it will be apparent that the hot gasesand products of' combustion can be discharged so as to impingedirectly'upon the accumulation of snow and ice, as indicated By thisconstruction the frontmov at 31 which it is desired to melt, and thesame will be instantaneously melted as is evident. If the snow or ice tobe melted is not deep, it will be apparent that the front hood section10 can stand about in the position seen in Figure 3, and as the tractor26 and its adjuncts aremoved forwardly, the snow and ice under the hood1 subjected to the intense heat thus applied will be immediately melted.The front hood section 10 can be elevated to any desired height, as

is evident, and the provision of the side wings 14% will prevent theheat from escaping sideways from the hood when the front section thereofis partly elevated.

' It will be apparent that any suitable form of tractor may be employedand that the supporting frame 27 can be differently constructed ifdesired and the supporting bars or rods 3-2 and 33 can be differentlyarranged and assembled if desired.

It will now be apparent that we have devised a novel and usefulconstruction of snow melter, which embodies the features of advantagesenumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the abovedescription and while we have in the pres ent instance shown anddescribed the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found inpractice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to beunderstood that the same is susceptible of modification in variousparticulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventionor sacrilicingany of its advantages.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A hood for a snow melter, comprising a rear stationary portion, afront movable section hinged thereto on a line extending t ansversely tothe direetion of movement of the hood, inwardly projecting wings on thesides of said stationary portion extending lowering said front section.

2. A hood for a snow melter, comprising a rear stationary portion, afront movable section hinged thereto on a lineextending transversely tothe direction of movement of the hood, inwardly projecting wings on thesides of said stationary portion extending into said movablesection inproximity to the sides thereof, means for introducing heated air intosaid hood, and means for raising and lowering said front section.

3. A hood for a snow inelter, comprising a rear stationary portion,afront movable section hinged thereto on a line extending transverselyto the direction of movement of the hood, means for introducingheatedair into'said hood, means for raising and lowering said front section,inwardly projecting Wings on the sides of said stationary portionextending into said movable section in proximity to the sides thereof,an internal partition extending transversely of said hood, and a damperpivotally mounted above said partition.

4. A hood for a snow melter, comprising a rear stationary portion, afront movable section hinged thereto on a line extending transversely tothe direction of movement of the hood, means for raising and loweringsaid front section and forwardly projecting wings on the sides of saidstationary portion, said wings extending into said movable section inproximity to the sides thereof.

5. A hood for a snow melter, comprising a rear stationary portion, afront movable section hinged thereto on a line extending transversely ofthe direction of movement of the hood, means for introducing heated airinto said hood, means for raising and lowering said front section,inwardly projecting wings on the sides of said stationary portionextending .into said movable section in proximity to the sides thereof,an internal partition extending transversely of said hood, a damperpivotally mounted above said partition and means for actuating andretaining said damper in any desired position.

JOHN F. DALY. GEORGE A. COATS. GEORGE H. LUTZ.

